Don't Have to Look From Afar
by mavjade
Summary: Josh comes to a realization that he doesn't have to hide his feelings for Donna anymore and that he's finally happy. Takes place during President Santos' Inaugural Ball.


Title: Don't Have to Look from Afar

Timeline: Takes place on President Santo's Inauguration Day

Notes: This was for a challenge over at the Jedi Council Forums where you picked a number and were given a song. The song I was given was Britney Spears song Hold It Against Me.

* * *

"Josh," a voice pierced through his thoughts. "Earth to Josh..."

"Yeah," Josh answer absentmindedly as he watched Donna enter the ballroom. He had agreed to meet Donna at the first ball because they both had been busy all day getting their respective staffs moved into the White House; Josh into the West Wing and Donna into the East Wing. He thought she always looked beautiful when they went to formal events -he'd seen her in formal wear plenty of times- but this time, he was allowed to look. He was allowed to _really_ look, and she took his breath away.

"Are you okay?" Sam, his long-time friend, and deputy asked, clearly having been trying to get his attention for awhile.

"Yeah," Josh turned to Sam. "Yeah, I'm great."

"You look much better. There for a while, I thought you weren't going to make it. I thought you'd stroke out in the middle of the office." _Everyone_ had noticed how Josh was behaving before Sam had made him take a vacation. Sam had come into the transition offices and had flashbacks of Josh yelling at the President in the Oval Office, of hushed meetings with trauma specialists and a hand stitched up after being put through a window. But after Josh had returned from his vacation, he looked and sounded much better. Now that they were sworn in, he somehow managed to look quite relaxed. Sam just hoped things remained that way.

Josh nodded at Sam's commentary on his recent outbursts but turned back to watch Donna come toward him. "I know it was a lot, but it's under control now."

"You mean Donna's got you under control now."

Josh laughed, it was no secret that Donna had always kept him in check. She knew when to let him rant and rave, but also knew exactly how to get him to calm down when he was spinning out of control. It was Donna who had noticed he was drowning in his own mind that Christmas and it was Donna who had kept him afloat. Josh knew he was a complicated man with more baggage than anyone should have to deal with, but Donna managed to not only deal with him, but love him. "I don't know what you are talking about. I'm my own man."

"I don't think anyone who knows you would argue that," Sam laughed. He leaned in to speak into Josh's ear as Josh continued to watch Donna stop and speak to others as she continued working her way through the room. "But you know, you don't have to look from afar anymore."

Josh turned and gave Sam the dimpled smile that made Josh have fan clubs devoted to him on the internet. "You're right, I'm gonna…" he gestured toward the other side of the room and walked away.

Josh arrived beside Donna and put his hand around her waist. She was talking to some group that was already trying to lobby the First Lady's Chief of Staff to support their cause, at least as far as Josh could tell from the conversation. He remained quiet and just listened to Donna speak. He loved seeing her like this, for as much as she had been an amazing assistant, she was born for this kind of work and Josh felt proud and humble when he saw her at it. She may not have had the education he or Sam, or Amy had, but she had the natural people skills and intuition most of them with their Ivy League education lacked.

Finally, the conversation broke up and Donna turned to Josh and smiled, "Hi."

"Hi," he returned as he slipped his arms around her waist and her arms encircled his neck, looking each other in the eyes.

"We're finally here."

"Yeah, we're finally here."

They continue to dance without speaking, knowing each other so well they didn't need the words, they both knew what they meant. Yes, they, especially Josh, got the dream job he's been working toward his entire career. He was, as of noon that day, the Chief of Staff to the President of the United States. Donna had a job she could have never dreamed of when she hired herself as Josh Lyman's assistant nine years earlier. But she knows it's probably the pentacle: Chief of Staff to the First Lady of the United States and she planned on enjoying it. But neither of them meant they'd arrived in their careers. They are finally out in the open, together, able to show each other and the world how they feel about each other.

They continue to dance, Donna see's a flash which means their picture might be in the Post or on some website tomorrow, but for once, she doesn't care. She is no longer worried about the optics of being in love with her boss, because she isn't, she's in love with the second most powerful man in the U.S., but he isn't her boss. She's shown her worth, she knows there are probably people who will accuse her of sleeping her way into the White House, but she finds she doesn't care. Their friends know the truth, the President knows the truth, and most importantly she and Josh know the truth; that this is something that's been growing for years, and they are finally free. Finally where they want to be.

The song finishes but they don't pull away from each other. Josh leans in to whisper in Donna's ear, "You look beautiful."

"Thank you," Donna replied. "Who tied your tie?"

"I did!"

Donna pulled back to look him in the eye. She didn't say anything, just looked at him with skepticism clearly in her eyes.

"Okay, fine. Margret did it." Josh had been happy Leo's assistant had agreed to stay on and help him. At this point, she knew more about the office of the Chief of Staff than anyone, and she would be a big asset. He also knew that she and Donna remained friends, which would certainly help him in some ways and get him in trouble in others.

"We should probably do our jobs and schmooze," Donna said starting to pull away.

Josh pulled her closer to him and whispered again, "What do you say we get out of here?"

"Get out of...? Josh! We can't leave."

"Why not?"

"First off, this is only the first ball. Don't you think people would worry if the Chief of Staff disappeared this early? Second, I didn't get this dressed up to only leave fifteen minutes after I got here!"

"Can you blame me, you look beautiful. I want you all to myself."

"You can be so sweet sometimes, you know that?"

"You're not the first woman who's told me that."

"And there it goes, back to the Josh I know and love."

"Love?"

"It's an expression."

"It was CJ that said it, not anyone… ya know…"

She knew what he was trying to say, that it had been a friend who had told him he was sweet, not one of his exes. Donna couldn't really see any of them saying he was sweet, but like she told Amy, you had to 'get' Josh. And she did, and that's how she knew she could say it. "I do, love you, Joshua."

Josh couldn't help the smile that spread across his face, "I love you too, Donnatella."

They continued to ignore whatever duty they might have to talk to donors and the movers and shakers of the party and danced with each other. At the end of a song and the start of one that was more uptempo Josh leaned in to whisper again. "Do you think we can go now? That dress makes me want to ignore my job and take you home."

"Josh!"

Josh sighed, "Okay. Let's go do a job. Then we can go home."

"Josh?" Donna said softly as he was starting to walk away.

"Yeah?"

"Work quickly. I want to go home too."

A smile lit up Josh's face, and he realized he had never been so happy in his life. He had the job he'd dreamed of since he was a boy, he worked for a President who was the real thing, and he was loved by Donnatella Moss. He still had a lot left to do, but he knew he had a lot, and he was happy.

He didn't have to look from afar any longer.


End file.
